Downtown
(SWAT) vs (Thieves) |date = |place = Financial District, Los Angeles, California |terrain = Urban |modes = |combat = Combined Arms Warfare |singleplayer = |map = |music = Downtown Loading Music}} Downtown (formerly known as 'High Tension'https://twitter.com/dirtydeathdog/status/555425461371555840) is a map featured in Battlefield Hardline. The map is set in the Financial District of Los Angeles. The main Levolution event of the map is the destruction of a construction crane which results in severe damage to nearby buildings. Overview Taking place within a built up urban district of the city of Los Angeles, the Downtown map is characterized by open expanses of highway mixed with the tight interiors of buildings. The puzzle of variably elevated streets running through the map center and perimeter allow the many vehicles on the map high mobility, while the abundant pedestrian-only areas, generally centered around the various skyscrapers and shopfronts of the map, grant infantry a similar level of freedom. In addition, verticality plays a key role in this particular map, with helicopters and elevators allowing several of the skyscraper roofs to be accessed. These raised shooting positions, coupled with the close quarters firefights for building interiors, cover the entire spectrum of range, making Downtown a highly diverse map. Conquest With a mixture of light, heavy and air vehicles, Conquest on the varied terrain of Downtown results in a more polarized version of combined arms gameplay. Foot and vehicle traffic between flags usually follows the many roads of the area, with infantry generally dominating the clustered center of the map. Flags can also be reached by parachuting from many of the high rooftops. Starting equipment is identical for both standard Conquest and Conquest Large, and objectives consist of three flags in Conquest and five in Conquest Large. Flag Layouts Equipment |light = Squad Car Police Interceptor Police Motorcycle |apc= Mobile Command Post |ifv =Intervention SUV |tank = Counter Attack Truck |helicopter = Transport Helicopter Patrol Helicopter |emplacement = }} |light = Sports Sedan Muscle Car Street Bike |apc = Syndicate Crew Cab |ifv = Armored SUV |tank = Hardened Attack Truck |helicopter = Executive Helicopter |emplacement =}} Deployments SWAT Deployment The SWAT start in the garage of the police precinct in the north-west corner of the map, with the doors raising to let vehicles out at the start of the match. One of the helicopter spawns in the parking lot to the north, while the other is on the helipad on the roof of the station, accessible by a stairwell at the south end of the garage. The L-shaped junction connecting the police station to the rest of the map's roads is a protected area, forbidding enemy players from spawn camping. The police have a FIM-92 Stinger battle pickup available from the north end of their spawn. BFHL DT CQ LED1.png|Police Garage and Transport Helicopter spawn BFHL DT CQ LED2.png|Ground vehicle spawns BFHL DT CQ LERoof.png|Patrol Helicopter spawn Thieves Deployment The Thieves start from two underground parking spaces in the south-east corner of the map, where their ground vehicles spawn. Helicopters spawn on flatbed trucks on street level to the north of the car parks. As with the police, the intersection outside the Thieves' deployment is off limits to the enemy team. The Criminal's FIM-92 is located in the northern-most underground car park. BFHL DT CQ CRD1.png|Criminal garage and helicopter spawns BFHL DT CQ CRD2.png|Heavy vehicle and FIM-92 Stinger spawn BFHL DT CQ CRD3.png|Light vehicle spawn Flags Plaza This flag is located within the tiled plaza of the Pacific bank, and is the western-most objective on the map. The capture zone extends only to the exterior park, where the stone planters and abstract sculpture in the center of the circular court offer solid, if low and mono-directional cover - the area is exposed to fire from many different angles, including the bank interior, the high balconies of the mall across the road, and the even higher floors of the skyscraper. A small stairwell to the south-west offers the only substantial cover in the capture zone. Elevators in the Pacific bank allow players to cover the flag and the surrounding area from an elevated position. An M240B is found on the ground floor of the bank, while a Grappling Hook can be obtained from a window washing platform on the bank's upper floor. BFHL DT CQB.png|Plaza BFHL DT CQB M240.png|M240B spawn inside the tower BFHL DT CQB Grapple.png|Grappling Hook spawn BFHL DT CQB Roof.png|Rooftop Parking This objective is located in the north of the map, directly east of the SWAT's deployment, and comes in the form of a large, square multi-story car park. Comprised of a total of four floors, vehicle entrances from the streets can be found on the first, second and third floors, and is linked to the adjacent mall by a pedestrian skybridge on the third level. The capture zone of this flag extends only to the third and roof levels, where the cover is extremely lacking - parked cars and waist high concrete barricades being the only serviceable protection. While the car park interior heavily lends itself to a close quarters battle, the open windows on several floors, as well as the exposed roof area also permits long distance engagements, and allows the surrounding streets to be covered. An RPG-7V2 is located in a small service room on the second level. While not directly spawnable from the flag, a Fuel Tanker is found parked outside the level 1 entrance, to the east of the parking lot. BFHL DT CQA Roof.png|Parking BFHL DT CQA RPG.png|RPG-7V2 spawn BFHL DT CQA Tanker.png|Fuel Tanker spawn Tower The capture radius of this objective is located on the upper floor of the Backstone financial building around the center of the playable area. The tallest accessible building on the map, the zone is only reachable by elevators in the ground floor lobby, or by helicopter airlift to the roof. The upper floor consists of an ornamental office space, presumably used by upper management, complete with a reception desk, windowed meeting rooms and an upstairs lounge, with a staircase in the south-east corner granting roof access. Much of the cover here is destructible, making firefights here close range and frantic. Due to the relative inaccessibility, attacking the objective can be problematic due to the chokepoints formed by the elevators and roof stairwell. Although higher than most other buildings, the many windows of the office can allow players on adjacent rooftops to engage enemies inside from afar. Conversely, the elevated position allows those holding the objective to project fire or parachute onto said rooftops as well as the streets below. A MK153 SMAW is found in the executive office on the eastern side of the upper floor, while a Zipline pickup on the roof allows players to directly zipline to other buildings. An FIM-92 Stinger spawns on the rooftop to the north; being the only neutral Stinger on the map it tends to be highly contested BFHL DT CQC1.png|Tower offices BFHL DT CQC2.png|View from the second floor offices BFHL DT CQC Roof.png|Rooftop with Zipline pickup BFHL DT CQC SMAW.png|SMAW pickup BFHL DT CQC Stinger.png|Stinger spawn at the adjacent rooftop Stores The Stores objective is located off of the overpass on the eastern edge of the map. The "Aquacourt at Cal Plaza" consists of two opposite rows of shops separated by a rectangular plaza at street level, with stairwells at the corners providing access to an outdoor dining area and park on the roofs of the stores. The flag can be seized from either of these floors, giving players the option of the obfuscated sightlines of the lower floor versus the exposed but elevated positions of the floor above. On the lower floor, the shop interiors provide the best all around cover, particularly from above, although the single exit of the storefront can limit players to a static defense when inside. Meanwhile, on the top floor, concrete pillars and planters offer the only suitable, non-destructible cover. An M240B battle pickup is located underneath a staircase at the back of the mall, to the east. BFHL DT CQD2.png|Stores BFHL DT CQD M240.png|M240B spawn Bank Positioned on the southern edge of the map, this flag is found within the interior of the California Royal Bank. Comprised of two floors with elevators connecting each, the opulent but somewhat congested bank lobby sits above the slightly more open confines of the underground parking lot. In this area, the many concrete pillars, as well as the enclosed elevator room in the center of the car park, and the stairwells about the perimeter, mean cover is plentiful. Vehicles can access this area, but this is generally ill-advised due to the cramped interior, and operable bollards. Upstairs, the large elevator shafts in the middle of the lobby, as well as the oblique shape of the interior panels, block sightlines to and from the entry points to the lobby, with the remainder of cover being destructible or otherwise limited. An RPG-7V2 sits behind a receptionist's desk in the north-east corner of the lobby. BFHL DT CQE.png|Bank BFHL DT CQE Lower.png|Lower garage BFHL DT CQE RPG.png|RPG-7V2 spawn Heist During Heist, Thieves take down a pair of Bank Trucks near the construction site and are attempting to steal the cash they were carrying. SWAT reacting from the local precinct must stop them from getting the loot to one of the several pickup areas on the map. Battle Pickup spawns are identical to those in Conquest. Equipment |light = 2 Police Motorcycles 2 Squad Cars 2 Police Interceptors |apc= Mobile Command Post |ifv = |helicopter = Transport Helicopter |emplacement = }} |light = 2 Street Bikes 2 Sports Sedans 2 Muscle Cars |apc = Syndicate Crew Cab |ifv = Armored SUV |emplacement =}} Deployments SWAT Deployment Unlike the Thieves, SWAT have no initial deployment, and instead spawn at the precinct for the entirety of the round. SWAT almost has the same make-up of vehicles as the Thieves do, but have a Transport Helicopter instead of an SUV, giving them an advantage in quickly traversing the map. Thieves Deployments At the start of the round, Thieves have two spawns near the Bank Trucks, one to the east on the lower road and one to the south on the bridge. The lower spawn has a Utility Van spawn next to it, which can be used to get to one of trucks faster or potentially setup as a roadblock to stop the Law Enforcement vehicles. After the initial spawn, Thieves are pushed back to their base from Conquest in the garage. While they lack the Transport Helicopter that SWAT have during the gamemode, the Criminals instead have an Armored SUV, giving them a major advantage in firepower on the ground. Break-In In Stage One, the Bank Trucks and the Police Cruisers protecting them are taken out by an RPG-7 fired from a building near the construction site, destroying the police vehicles and knocking one of the trucks off of the overpass. Thieves must set Breaching Charges with 30 second timers on the trucks to get to the cash, while SWAT must reach the area in time to disable the charges. Vault A The Bank Truck that fell off the overpass serves as Vault A. This can be a slightly harder Truck for SWAT to take compared to Bravo, since they have a less direct path to it and it is highly exposed. Thieves can hide in the construction site while waiting for the charges to explode, where they have ample cover to fire at the incoming SWAT. Law Enforcement may want to bring the Mobile Command Post to this truck, as the vehicle will provide them with cover and firepower with its firing ports. Throwing Incendiary Grenades or Gas Grenades into the construction site is also a good idea to flush out Criminals who may be watching the truck. Vault B Vault B is located at the Bank Trunk overturned on the road. The destroyed Police Cruisers around the truck give Thieves so decent cover to set and defend the charge, but SWAT can reach this truck much more directly, especially with the Transport Helicopter. If the Criminals can do it in time, bring the crane down will cut off SWAT's main route to the truck and give the area more cover in general, but this may require some coordination between the players at the different spawn points. Escape After the trucks are breached and the loot bags are grabbed, Thieves need to get the cash to drop off points around the map. Two random points activate at a time; once one bag is secured, only one will be active. If a pick-up is aborted or SWAT manage to drive the helicopter off, another random point will activate instead. Escape A Escape point A is located at the top floor of the Garage. This point can be difficult to reach due to it being very close to the SWAT deployment and can reach it quickly with the helicopter. If traveling to the point on foot, Criminals can bring a Grappling Hook to climb directly up to the top floor and avoid the long run upstairs where they can be easily ambushed by SWAT. Bringing the SUV to point is also a good idea, as the only form of cover in the area is a single parked car that can be easily blown up. SWAT can setup the bollards to keep vehicles out and have the Transport Helicopter keep an eye on the top floor as it is very exposed from the air. Escape B Escape point B is behind a police barricade to the west. The actual pick up point is completely exposed save for one Police Cruiser, but the barricade itself is made up of several vehicles and a large command trailer, so players have a lot of cover to hide while waiting for the helicopter. The footbridge around the point is an excellent position for either team to use to control the area, so quickly taking the bridge is important for supporting players at this point. Vehicles are less useful here since they can't get past the vehicle blockade, save for the helicopter and motorbikes, but can help with keep enemy players away from site. Escape C Point Charlie is at the landing pad at the top of the Plaza building. SWAT have an advantage at getting to this point with the helicopter and can quickly setup defensive positions on the upper floors if it becomes active. Criminals will either have to take the elevators or Zipline from the neighboring buildings to reach the spot. If the stairwells are being guarded, Thieves can use the Grappling Hook on the window washer platform to reach the roof. Escape D Escape point D is located at the landing pad at the top of the Blackstone tower. Like point C, Thieves are at a disadvantage with this point due to SWAT having the helicopter, and unlike C, they cannot Zipline to the point. Criminals will either have to use the elevators, or Grapple from the building to the north. Escape E Escape point E is located on the small footbridge at the Stores flag. This point is much easier for Criminals to take, especially if they can get the SUV to the area. It's a relatively straight shot to the point from Vault B if the crane hasn't come down, otherwise vehicles will have to go around the wreckage. While the surrounding area provides a lot of cover with planters and trees, the pickup on the bridge is exposed from all angles. SWAT can watch the site from the mall plaza or setup in the area surrounding the shops to keep the Thieves out. Hotwire Five objective vehicles are present in Hotwire, and are generally near the locations of the flags in Conquest. Deployments and Battle Pickup spawns are unchanged from Conquest. Neither team receives attack vehicles, instead only having access to several light vehicles and a transport helicopter. The several roads on the map offer drivers several different options for routes when in a Hotwired vehicle, but Breaching Charge and RPG traps are generally setup at the various intersections which the player will eventually have to go through. Finding a safer area to drive in near the base is an idea to stay away from traps, but be wary of the enemy's transport helicopter which may try to flush drivers out of these areas. Objective Layouts Equipment |light = Police Motorcycle 2 Police Interceptors 4 Squad Cars |ifv = |tank = |helicopter = Transport Helicopter |emplacement = }} |light = Street Bike 2 Muscle Cars 4 Sports Sedans |ifv = |tank = |helicopter = Executive Helicopter |emplacement =}} Blood Money Like Hotwire, Blood Money takes place on the entirety of the map, with the Money Pile located in the mall and the Vaults located in the opposite garages. Battle Pickup spawns as well as the neutral Fuel Tanker spawn remain unchanged from Conquest. Equipment |light = Police Motorcycle Police Interceptor Squad Car |ifv =Intervention SUV |tank = Armored Rescue Vehicle |helicopter = Transport Helicopter Patrol Helicopter |emplacement = }} |light = Street Bike Muscle Car Sports Sedan |ifv = Armored SUV |tank = Hardened Attack Truck |helicopter = Executive Helicopter Rogue Chopper |emplacement =}} Deployments and Vaults SWAT Deployment SWAT deploy from the police station at north end of the map as in Conquest, and have their Vault on the ground floor of the Garage base on the north side of the map, directly east of the Law Enforcement deployment. Thieves' Deployment The Thieves deploy in an underground parking garage at the south end of the map, with their vault located in the garage below the Bank flag, directly west of Criminals' deployment. Money Pile The central Money Pile is located in the south-east corner of the second floor of the mall in between the two parking garages. The money cart itself is obscured from the west and east, but the main hall of the mall provides a long sightline on the cart. Players can setup outside the pile on the rooftop of the mall or the surrounding buildings to defend or attack the pile. The mall rooftop provides a good view of the main road to the west to ward off vehicles, while SWAT can use the Blackstone building lobby to fire on the Thieves's garage, while Thieves can focus on the SWAT garage from the outdoor lobby of the mall. Rescue Rescue on Downtown restricts movement to the center of the map, around the tower blocks and plaza. The elevators to the roofs of each skyscraper are operable, and allow zip-lining or parachuting across the map. The SWAT team spawns in a raised plaza behind the mall, across the street to the east of the bank. The Thieves start outside the bank's north-west wall, to the north of the plaza. Both hostages are behind desks in the ground floor lobby of the bank interior; Hostage 1 is in the north-west corner nearer to the criminal's spawn, while Hostage 2 is in the north-east corner closer to the rescuers deployment. The extraction Police Cruiser is directly east of the Law Enforcement's spawn, on the overpass lying parallel to the mall's raised square. Downtown 01.png|Escape Cruiser Downtown 03.png|Hostage 1 Downtown 02.png|Hostage 2 Crosshair In Crosshair, the map boundaries are relocated to the south-east corner, centering on the construction site and roads leading from the criminal's Conquest spawn. SWAT and VIP start to the west in the downstairs lobby of the California Royal Bank. The hit squad spawn and the extraction vehicles are located along a vertically oriented road east of the construction site. No Weapon Lockers are present on the map. To get to the escape vehicles, SWAT can either head directly east through the construction site, flank south around the tower to get to Escape B, or flank north around the construction site to Escape A. The two flanks are highly exposed but may not be expected by the Thieves, while the construction site offers more cover but will very quickly lead to a firefight. Team Deathmatch Team Deathmatch takes place around the mall, extending from the entrance of the Garage base and the entrance of the Bank garage. The elevators for the two towers in the center of the map are operable, and players can fight or potentially spawn on the upper floors. The crane levolution cannot take place due to two of the supports being out of bounds, but the supports under the tunnel can still be brought down to create new routes or more cover in the area. Battle Pickup spawns are removed. Levolution *The crane at the construction site can be toppled over by destroying three cable hoists supporting the crane. The first support is located on the bridge where Vault Bravo would normally be on Heist mode, the second is located to the east of Vault Alpha at a street corner, and the third is located near the construction site closer to the Criminals' deployment in Heist mode. Alternatively, a helicopter can be flown into the cables as the rotor blades will cut them. Once knocked down, the crane provides new pathways for infantry and blocks a portion of the bridge directly next to it from vehicles. The crane also crashes into multiple buildings, causing dust and debris to fill the area. *The tunnel under the main road has two damaged support beams that can be toppled with explosives, like an M67 Frag grenade or Breaching Charge. Once brought down, the road above will collapse and create a ramp up to the main road, giving vehicles and infantry more routes to use in the area, as well as creating large amounts of dust cover in the tunnel for a period. *The rooftops and upper floors of the three skyscrapers in the center of the map can be accessed via the elevators located in each building's lobby (in the case of the Blackstone building, there are also two elevators in the garage that can be used). Deployable gadgets like Breaching Charges will go up or down with the elevator if they are placed inside, allowing some potential for traps in the elevator. *The rooftop of the mall can be accessed by destroying the supports to the glass overhangs, which will create a ramp to take upwards. This area can provide Professionals and Enforcers good sightlines on the Plaza and the Stores. *Interactive bollards are present at Parking and the Bank garage, and can be activated to prevent vehicles from entering the garages. This can be particularly useful during Blood Money, as both teams have their respective vaults in these garages. Gallery BFHL Zip Line.PNG BFHL Screenshot 1.PNG BFHL Screenshot 2.PNG BFHL Screenshot 3.PNG BFHL Screenshot 4.PNG BFHL Screenshot 5.jpg BFHL Screenshot 6.jpg BFHL Screenshot 7.jpg BFHL Screenshot 8.jpg BFH Downtown Screenshot 1.jpg BFH Downtown Screenshot 2.jpg BFH Downtown Screenshot 4.jpg Videos Battlefield Hardline Gameplay Blood Money on Downtown|Short gameplay trailer of Blood Money on Downtown Battlefield Hardline Gameplay Hotwire on Downtown|Short gameplay trailer of Hotwire on Downtown Trivia *Downtown was the first map revealed for Hardline, and was featured in its the June beta.http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/04/battlefield-hardline-beta-heading-to-ps4 *The map features several easter eggs regarding Visceral Games and DICE. :*The construction site is being built by "Visceral Construction", referencing Visceral Games as the developer of Hardline. :*Several billboards and a building sign on the map read "Lars of Sweden", referencing Lars Gustavsson of DICE. These are also seen on Bank Job. :*A shop at the Stores flag is named "Capt. Monkey Pants", referencing the usual username of Visceral's Ian Milham, Hardline's Art and Creative Director. :*Billboards for a western film named The Devil You Know directed by Isaac Clarke, the protagonist of Visceral's Dead Space series, can also be seen on the map. :*In another Dead Space reference, one of the shops at the mall is named "Ishimura", after the USG Ishimura, the setting of the first Dead Space game. *The Bank flag is a branch of the fictional Royal California Bank, which is the same bank later robbed during Bank Job. *Like a few other urban maps, a Sky 5 reporting helicopter can be seen orbiting the area from out of bounds. *There are three donut boxes on a table in the Law Enforcement deployment. If a player on the Law Enforcement faction spots them, their character will shout phrases such as: "Fuck, those donuts look amazing!", "Donuts, spotted!", or "Delicious donuts spotted!" This was first shown in the 6 Minutes of Multiplayer Gameplay trailer, where the latter phrase was spoken.Battlefield Hardline Beta: Road Kill Police, Donuts Spotted, Taser Frenzy - YouTube *Despite a few differences, the map layout is taken directly from the actual financial district in Los Angeles, particularly the intersection of S Hope St. and 4th West St. *In the game files this map is named mp_downtown. References Category:Maps of Battlefield Hardline